A total of 1,516 Chinese nationals had been granted student visas in Cagayan as of 2023, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) said on Friday, April 19.

The student visas were granted to those endorsed by legitimate schools and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingo said.

The number of Chinese students with legitimate visas was disclosed by BI amid concerns over the alleged influx of Chinese students in Cagayan which is near Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) sites where American soldiers have been allowed access.

Tansingco said of those granted student visas, more than 400 of them are on-site because the schools have been implementing distance learning.

But, he said, the reported suspicious activities of foreign students may be “worth looking into by government intelligence agencies.”

Under the Executive Order No. 285, series of. 2000, Tansingco explained that foreign nationals who acquire their student visas may be subjected to checks by the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) for activities “which appear to be inimical to the security of the State.”

He said that EO 285 also created an inter-agency committee on foreign students that is headed by the CHED and includes as members the BI, NBI, NICA, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), and the Department of Education (DepEd).

He expressed hopes that the checking of student visas granted to foreigner would not discourage them from coming to the Philippines to study.

“The national government has actively promoted the country as an education hub in Asia,” he said.   

“We hope that these concerns do not scare away legitimate students whose stay in the country could greatly help re-boost our economy,” he also said.